@article{PAR00012300,
  title = {{T}rend and variability of the atmospheric water vapor : a mean sea level issue},
  author = {{T}hao, {S}. and {E}ymard, {L}aurence and {O}bligis, {E}. and {P}icard, {B}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he wet tropospheric path delay is presently the main source of error in the estimation of the mean sea level by satellite altimetry. {T}his correction on altimetric measurements, provided by a dedicated radiometer aboard the satellite, directly depends on the atmospheric water vapor content. {N}owadays, water vapor products from microwave radiometers are rather consistent but important discrepancies remain. {U}nderstanding these differences can help improve the retrieval of water vapor and reduce at the same time the error on the mean sea level. {T}hree radiometers are compared: the {A}dvanced {M}icrowave {S}canning {R}adiometer for {E}arth {O}bserving {S}ystem ({AMSR}-{E}), {J}ason-1 microwave radiometer ({JMR}), and {E}nvisat microwave radiometer ({MWR}). {W}ater vapor products are analyzed both in terms of spatial and temporal distribution over the period 2004-10, using {AMSR}-{E} as a reference. {T}he {I}nterim {ECMWF} {R}e-{A}nalysis ({ERA}-{I}nterim) data are also included in the study as an additional point of comparison. {O}verall, the study confirms the general good agreement between the radiometers: similar patterns are observed for the spatial distribution of water vapor and the correlation of the times series is better than 0.90. {H}owever, regional discrepancies are observed and a quantitative agreement on the trend is not obtained. {R}egional discrepancies are driven by the annual cycle. {T}he {JMR} product shows discrepancies are highly dependent on water vapor, which might be related to calibration issues. {F}urthermore, triple collocation analysis suggests a possible drift of {JMR}. {MWR} discrepancies are located in coastal regions and follow a seasonal dynamic with stronger differences in summer. {I}t may result from processing of the brightness temperatures.},
  keywords = {},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {A}tmospheric and {O}ceanic {T}echnology},
  volume = {31},
  numero = {9},
  pages = {1881--1901},
  ISSN = {0739-0572},
  year = {2014},
  DOI = {10.1175/jtech-d-13-00157.1},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/{PAR}00012300},
}